


Project "P"

by UntoldMuse



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, M/M, Not really mystery, Secret Marriage, mystery kinda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 19:52:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15274995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UntoldMuse/pseuds/UntoldMuse
Summary: Rumors have been going around at the Lab about an unknown, secret project called "Project P"No one knows where the rumors came from, or how they started, but Dr. Alphys takes it upon herselfto investigate. What she uncovers about the rumors is a secret involving an entire level of the laboratoryno one knew existed, as well as two of Alphys's scientist co-workers.





	1. Chapter 1

 

_**There was a project, unknown to almost to every scientist working for the King. It had no name, only acknowledged and referred to by the letter "P." But what did that single letter mean? The implications of having a project so secret, that it didn't even warrant a proper name...That was what lead Dr. Alphys to investigate the matter further.** _

 

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Dr. Alphys nervously paced down the hallway to Dr. Gaster’s office. She knocked on the door once, twice, three times. On the third knock, Dr. Gaster’s voice rang out from behind the door, “Come on in, if you have business.”

Alphys walked in, waving at the Doctor. He was bent over his desk, working on some document at the computer. Sans was there too, occupied with a book as he sat in Dr. Gaster’s spare armchair. “H-hello Dr. Gaster, Dr. S-sans.” Stuttered Alphys.

“You can just call me Sans, Alph.” Replied Sans. He was always more informal about names and titles than others. He folded one corner of the page, and closed his book, wanting to hear what Alphys had to say.

“S-so... I was wondering if you two are, are going to the meeting tonight? With the K-King and all.” Asked Alphys.

Gaster nodded yes. “I don’t really have a choice. And don’t worry, no matter how much Sans protests, he will be there as well.” Said Gaster firmly. Sans gave a quiet laugh. He would like to see the old man “make” him go anywhere. But regardless, these regular meetings were all part of the job, and Sans would go...Though he’d rather be working on other things.

Dr. Alphys nodded, and replied “O-okay then. I’ll see you b-both later. Uh, bye.” Then without another word, she left them both in the office. As soon as she left, Alphys quietly plodded back to her own office, wringing her hands. _“The rumors are getting worse,”_ she thought. _“I want to know if it’s true or not...But at the same time, I’m kind of scared.”_ Shaking her head, Alphys tried not to think about it too much. Maybe she could find out more at the meeting tonight.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LATER... Dr. Gaster, Sans, Alphys and a couple of lab assistants all filed into the meeting room at half-past 7 0’clock. They each took a seat at the long, wooden table. Then King Asgore waltzed in. Everyone stood up for a moment, and bowed to the King in respect. “Please be seated.” Said Asgore. He too, wasn’t a man who liked to be very formal. The meetings usually were more in line with a Q and A session, where each scientist informed the King of various goings-on in the lab.

Gaster gave special reports on the stability and efficiency of the CORE, while Alphys discussed her surveillance and robotics experiments. And Sans, he served as a translator of sorts; putting the long, scientific jargon into simpler terms. Asgore appreciated his efforts, though he was getting better at understanding things. At 9 0’clock sharp, the meeting drew to a close. Alphys hadn’t yet asked her question to Dr. Gaster and Sans.

Just before the King said good night and dismissed everyone, Alphys spoke up. “Umm...um” She murmured. “E-excuse me!”

Asgore turned to her and cocked his head, “What is it Doctor Alphys? Is there something you’d like to add?” Asked Asgore. Alphys nodded yes. “Then speak up my dear.” Asgore prompted her.

Alphys coughed, clearing her throat. She looked nervously across the table at Dr. Gaster and Sans. Those two were almost always together. “D-dr. Gaster, I was wondering if y-you had heard anything about this...um, Project “P”? I’ve only heard rumors but...I figured you would know.” She said at last.

Gaster glanced at Sans. There was an almost palpable feeling of concern between them. Alphys looked at Asgore, wondering if he could feel it too... “I honestly have no idea what you’re referring to, Dr. Alphys. However, I believe what you say.” Replied Dr. Gaster at last. Asgore frowned, but didn’t say anything. He dismissed the meeting, and everyone went home...

Well, everyone except for Gaster and Sans.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sans paced around the room, mumbling about the meeting and Dr. Alphys. Gaster sat down in the armchair, smoking a cigarette. He was getting more than a little irritated by Sans’s anxious marching. “Why don’t you come here and have a smoke? You could do to relax a little.” He offered.

Sans shook his head. He wasn’t in the mood, and besides, he didn’t smoke anyway. “I don’t know how you stand the taste of those things, they literally taste like garbage.” Sans replied. Gaster didn’t respond. He’d picked up the habit a long time ago, and it wasn’t like smoking would destroy _his lungs..._

“I understand your agitation Sans, I really do,” said Gaster, “But _you’re annoying me_ , so sit down for a bit alright?” Sans nodded, and reluctantly sat down in Gaster’s desk chair. “

There’s been all kinds of talk about that mysterious ‘Project P.’” Said Sans. “You know how lab techs like to gossip in the break room...”

“Lab techs and interns...” Gaster mused. He chuckled lightly, remembering a certain someone else during their years as an intern.

“What are we going to about it, G?” Sans asked as he looked at Gaster. The nick-name “G” was one only Sans could away with using, and it usually meant he was worried or upset by something.

Gaster sighed, taking a long drag of his cigarette. “We do nothing. Let them gossip, and let Alphys be curious...If anyone digs too deeply into the matter, we’ll deal with it then.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A FEW DAYS LATER...

“Dr. Alphys! Dr. Alphys?!” A shrill voice sounded from the other side of the office door. Sighing, Alphys opened the door with her remote at the desk. She didn’t like getting up to greet people all the time, and remotes were more convenient. An intern came in, wearing a typical white lab coat and lanyard around their neck. “Dr. Alphys?” Asked the intern once more.

“Y-yes?” Alphys stammered. She was trying to concentrate on repairing a circuit board. Her hands shook, and a piece of the circuit landed in the floor. “D-damn...” She cursed under her breath. While Alphys bent over to pick the piece up, the intern continued.

“I did some digging into that code name ‘Project P’ and compiled a folder just like you asked me to!” They said proudly. Alphys shook her head.

“Th-thank you...Y-you can go now.” She replied. The intern placed the file on her desk, then left with a casual wave goodbye. Once they were gone, Alphys sighed in relief. She picked up the folder, noting how light it was. The intern probably hadn’t managed to find all that much. Alphys opened it, and was immediately disappointed. All the folder contained was a receipt of some kind and a building permit...

Wait, a building permit! Alphys readjusted her glasses and examined the building permit. The date on it was more than five years ago, and the permit itself was for _“the purpose of new construction, additions, renovations or repairs.”_ Setting the permit aside for now, Alphys picked up the receipt to look at it. The sale total on the receipt was 247 G, and all the items listed on the receipt, looked suspiciously like items one might purchase for a new-born baby.

_“Milk formula, blankets, two pacifiers...What is all this for?”_ Alphys wondered. Then she discovered, the old receipt was also dated at five years old. “That can’t be a coincidence! It can’t!” Alphys put both items back in the folder, and tucked it away in a desk drawer. _“I’ll see Gaster about all this at lunch...He’ll know more I’m sure.”_

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Gaster, Sans and Dr. Alphys all worked under different departments in the lab. Despite that, the three of them sometimes ate lunch together in the break room. Sans would often shoo the interns out, so they could all eat in peace. Today was one of those days. Alphys sat down at one of the tables, with a container of noodles and pair of chopsticks. She had gotten them a long time ago in the dump, and they were perfect for eating with.

After heating their food up in the microwave, Gaster and Sans sat down as well. “Tech department really needs to see about fixing that stupid microwave...My hotdog is all stale.” Sans complained.

Gaster only laughed. “I told you to leave the bun on the plate and just warm the meat by itself.” He commented. Alphys giggled to herself. She had been the victim of that microwave’s incapability to heat a bun many times before. A few minutes of silence passed while everyone ate. Then quietly, Alphys spoke up.

“S-so, Dr. Gaster and S-sans...I have a q-question for you.” Gaster and Sans both nodded for her to continue. “D-do, um...Do you k-know I’ve found a-a couple of documents r-relating to that ‘Project P’ everyone’s been talking about.” She said. Alphys felt anxious telling them about this, but then again, when _wasn’t_ she anxious? Gaster gave a sidelong glance to Sans, who remained completely expressionless. Alphys gulped, but carried on. “I-I found a building permit, dated fi-five years ago...And a receipt f-for baby items.”

“Not to be rude Alphys, but what does that have to do with the mysterious project?” Gaster asked incredulously.

Alphys’s face turned bright red. “W-well, th-they were both d-dated around the same time, a-and... And both marked with the letter ‘P’...So I-I figured...” Alphys trailed off. She felt like an idiot now. Why did she even bring this up? Embarrassed, she slurped down her noodles in silence. Neither Gaster nor Sans said another word. At 1 0’clock sharp they both left the breakroom and went out into the hall.

Alphys sadly cleaned up from lunch and went back to her own office. 


	2. The Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens when Alphys goes digging deeper~

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ENTRY ****

_It was believed at first, that the specimen was incapable of speech or rudimentary motor skills. Those hypotheses have been greatly disproven. As evidenced by the specimen’s increased magical output and communication while attaching a medicine pump to his soul, he is...more than capable._

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the evening waned on, both Doctor Gaster and Sans had a hard time focusing on their respective work. Though their offices were situated across the hall from each other, it was difficult even to separate themselves even that much. Sans made a few copies at the printer, then glanced up at the clock overhead. It read 8 0’clock. Sans sighed. Knowing Gaster, the old man would be slaving away for another four hours yet...Deciding to take a break from the incessant paper work, Sans walked to his desk and fumbled around in the bottom drawer.

The drawer had a false bottom that Sans himself installed. Pulling the top open, he reached in and took out a flat, white keycard. He stuffed it in his coat pocket, then went into the hallway. Humming a chipper tune, Sans entered the elevator at the end of the hall. He pressed the button for B5, or basement five. The facility had five floors built underground, the last of which nobody went into.

Except for he and Gaster of course...

Suddenly the elevator stopped with a jerk. The bell went “ding” and the doors slid open. Sans stepped into a dark hallway, the only light being the red card reader on the door. Swiping his keycard through the slot, Sans walked into the sealed-off room.

The room felt like the epitome of scientific sterilization, with white walls, and grey tile floors. Sans strode just a few feet, until he came to a plain, twin-sized bed. A monitor displaying vital signs and an I.V. filled with magical fluid stood on either side of the bed. Sans briefly checked the monitor, nodding happily at the good stats. Then he shifted his attention to the subject lying in the bed.

“Hello there, P.” Said Sans. He had a genuine smile on his face as he spoke. The child in the bed didn’t reply. He wasn’t able to. But his eyes seemed to light up while Sans talked to him. “I’ve come to check on you and give you some more food.” The child, ‘P’ nodded enthusiastically. He loved food. Promising to return, Sans went across the room to a line of cupboards. Most of them held medical supplies, but the bottom one to the far left, had food. In a few short minutes, Sans returned to P’s bedside with his favorite food. A peanut-butter sandwich.

“Now be sure to eat it all up, Dr. Gaster doesn’t like it when I spoil you too much.” Sans instructed. Then, as if he hadn’t just said that Gaster didn’t like for P to be spoiled, Sans gently patted P on the head. _“If Alphys keeps poking her long nose into our business, there won’t be a safe place for P anywhere...”_ Thought the skeleton.

Unexpectedly, there was the telltale ding of the elevator, and since Sans knew it could only be one person, he stood up and pretended to be doing some work while P ate.

“Sans? What are you doing in here?” It was Dr. Gaster. Sans turned around, sheepishly grinning.

“I came to feed P and check his stats. I figured you were too busy with other projects to come down here so...” Sans trailed off.

Gaster simply sighed and shook his head. It was common knowledge between them both who really took better care of their specimen. “I also came to feed him...but I guess you’ve beaten me to it.” Gaster commented. He walked over to the monitor, taking note of all P’s stats. “HP is normal, still at a solid 5...DEF at 3, leaves room for improvement. Heart rate and breathing are normal...He is perfectly relaxed.” Gaster scribbled onto a clipboard.

Sans replaced the I.V. SOUL drip, per Gaster’s direction. It was a special sedative they used to keep P calm. By this time, P had finished eating. Gaster preformed a medical exam on him, to see if he was as healthy as the STATS indicated. Meanwhile, Sans sat down in an old, black chair near P’s bed. He watched, only half-paying attention, while Gaster assessed P.

“Do you think we should do something about Alphys?” asked Sans. Dr. Gaster grunted a reply.

“Honestly Sans,” he added a moment later. “Unless she comes down here, or tries to report any findings to the King, there’s no cause for concern.” Sans wasn’t satisfied with that answer, but he figured it was the only one he’d get at this rate. “And besides, if we can’t make her abandon researching those rumors, we can always let her in on the truth.”

Sans felt his breath hitch...the mere suggestion almost had him in a panic. Gaster paid him no mind, he was too focused on P. A couple of minutes later, Gaster sat down in another chair across from Sans...It reminded the small skeleton of the early days, when he and Gaster first began this project.

“Alphys is a good Scientist, even if she’s anxious as all hell.” Gaster commented. “I’m inclined to believe she could be trusted with our secrets, if need be.” Sans shook his head.

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.” Muttered Sans under his breath. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 THE NEXT DAY...

Sans and Gaster arrived at the lab, thoroughly exhausted from staying up the previous night. Gaster offered to make them both some coffee, but Sans declined. “Your coffee tastes weird.” Said the smaller skeleton. Gaster frowned but didn’t say anything. Soon enough, the two were in their separate offices, working away. Dr. Alphys also was busy, trying to finish the metal plates for her robot.

She was making great progress. Another month or two and he would be complete. But while she riveted and punctured the sheets of metal that would be his arms, Alphys’s mind drifted off, worrying about that mysterious Project “P” ... _“Doctor Gaster and Sans know something clearly, that I don’t.”_ Thought Alphys. _“How can I be so oblivious? I’ve got to find out what they’re hiding.”_

As unpredictable as those two skeletal scientists were, two things in their daily schedules _never_ changed: At 12:15 p.m., Dr. Gaster went out of the lab for a smoke break, and at that same time, Sans left to refill his water bottle from the cooler in the hall. Alphys decided that she would go to Dr. Gaster’s office during his smoke break and investigate. That’s right, she wasn’t snooping or invading the Doctor’s privacy...merely satisfying her own curiosity.

12:09 p.m. Alphys quickly put aside her work and rushed to the elevator outside her office. She went down the floor where Gaster’s office resided. 12:15 p.m. Alphys quietly walked down the corridor, and saw the Doctor’s office was empty. Sighing in relief, Alphys went inside. Swiftly, Alphys went to Gaster’s desk, digging through the piles of papers for anything that looked...out of place.

Finding nothing on top, Alphys searched through the drawers. Nothing of note in them either. Dr. Gaster did have a large filing cabinet, as well as a bookshelf in the office, but Alphys didn’t have time to check them. Just as she closed the bottom desk drawer, Alphys noticed something. The bottom of the drawer seemed higher up than it should be... “AHA! A false bottom! Pretty good design actually.” Alphys pried at the bottom with her claws, and finally managed to pull it off. Underneath, the only thing in the drawer was a small keycard.

Without thinking, Alphys grabbed the keycard and put the drawer back how she found it. And not a moment to soon! Glancing down at her watch, Alphys shrieked in horror. Only two minutes until Gaster returned! Scrambling out of the floor, Alphys slipped the keycard into her coat pocket and dashed towards the elevator.

LATER...

“Hey Gaster,” Sans said as he stepped into Gaster’s office. “What did you need me for?” He looked at Gaster for a second, the older skeleton’s face looked distraught. Gaster slowly rubbed his foreskull with one hand, while nervously tapping a pen against the desk with the other. “Um, G... What’s wrong?” Sans repeated.

“Sans...My keycard. The keycard’s been stolen.” Gaster said fretfully.

“Alphys! I knew we needed to something about her!” Sans exclaimed. His hands were clenched into fists, eye glowing softly.

**“Sans, relax. Peace, be calm.”** Gaster told him. The sudden switch in and out of WingDings caught Sans off guard. He laughed quietly to himself.

“You know I’m not as fluent in that as you.” Sans said. Gaster grinned slightly.

“That was the whole point. To get you to listen.” He got up out of the chair. Still concerned about the keycard. “I want you to go check on P, stay with him for a little bit perhaps. _I_ will go talk to Dr. Alphys.” He put quite a bit of emphasis on the ‘I’. Disgruntled, Sans nodded and gave a mock salute to Dr. Gaster. Then he went out of the office.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ahhh...Nothing soothed frazzled nerves like a hot bowl of Ramen. Alphys happily slurped on the noodles in her office, taking a break from working on the robot. Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. “Dr. Alphys, it’s me, Gaster. May I come in?” His voice rang out. Alphys nearly jumped out of her skin. She sloshed noodles and hot broth all over her lab coat, which caused her to shriek. She clambered to find a napkin and cleaned herself up.

Now that problem was resolved, but Gaster was still outside the door! “U-um...I’m so s-sorry but I’m busy! Very busy r-right now. Can you c-come back later?” She said, trying to stall time.

“Not really, Alphys. It’s a _very important_ matter.” Gaster said, turning the handle on the door. He came inside, giving off a terrifying aura. Alphys went pale. “Alphys, have you been in my office today? Because when I came back from my afternoon smoke, I noticed some papers were shuffled and out of order...And what’s more, I noticed an item was missing from the bottom desk drawer.” Alphys couldn’t speak. She was paralyzed with fear. The words formed in her head, but she couldn’t say them out loud.

_“Oh god, oh god, oh god, I messed up big time! I should’ve known he’d notice! He’s so meticulous how he could he NOT notice?”_ The thoughts rushed through Alphys’s head like a storm. She just sat there in the chair, staring dumbfoundedly at Gaster.

“I’ll take your silence as a yes.” Gaster commented after staring at her for some time. “I want it back. The thing you stole.” Gaster said. He outstretched one hand expectantly. Alphys shook her head, as if suddenly waking up from a bad dream. She recoiled from Gaster’s hand.

“N-no, I’m not giving it b-back until you t-tell me something first!” She tried to assert herself. It wasn’t very effective.

“Fine then,” Gaster replied. “What do you want to know?”

“Tell me what y-you know about that ‘project P’. I k-know you and Sans know s-something!” All of a sudden, Gaster laughed. He shook his head for a moment or two. Alphys frowned. Why was he laughing? Was he mocking her?!

“Honestly Alphys, ever since you started to show interest in those rumors I had considered-...ah, nevermind. Instead of telling you about Project P, why don’t I just show you instead?” Gaster offered. Alphys’s eyes lit up in surprise. Was he serious?!

“A-are you sure?” She asked timidly.

Gaster nodded. “Yes. Sans might get angry at me, but honestly, I don’t care.” He answered. “But first, I need that keycard.” Gaster gestured for Alphys to give it back once more. Resigned, she returned it to him. “Now then, follow me.” Said Gaster, walking out of Alphys’s office.


	3. The Reveal

Alphys followed Dr. Gaster to the elevator. He pressed the button for B5. Alphys looked up at Gaster, puzzled. “B5? W-why are we going to Basement 5?” She asked.

“You’ll see.” Gaster said cryptically. A few minutes passed while the elevator whirred down to the bottom-most basement. It opened up, and Alphys squinted in the dim light. “Come on Alphys, we’re nearly there.” Gaster said, waving his hand. Alphys grew even more tense.

“U-um, Dr. Gaster- nothing’s g-gonna come out of the d-darkness and try to kill me, right?” She said, pulling her lab coat tighter.

“Hardly, Doctor Alphys...” Gaster said with a scoff. “Though fair warning, Sans may not be entirely pleased to see you.” Alphys gulped, as Gaster slid his keycard through the card-reader on the door. It opened with a metallic screech, and the two of them walked inside.

The bright white floors and walls nearly blinded Alphys after being in the dark hall. But even more staggering, was the sight of Sans reading a book to another, tiny skeleton in a hospital bed.

Sans looked up, waving at Gaster and- ALPHYS?! “What is she doing here?” Sans stood up defensively, clutching the book in his hands. Gaster blocked Alphys with his own body, spreading his arms out.

“Sans listen, there’s nothing we can do about it anymore. There is very little that can stop a curious scientist, and you know that.” Gaster said. Sans gritted his teeth.

“You could’ve at least told me you were going to bring her down here!” He said with a growl. Gaster sighed and shook his head.

“Relax, you’re making P anxious.” Gaster said, nodding to the little skeleton in the bed. He’d pulled the blankets up to his chest, eyeing the other two skeletons and Alphys timidly. Sans turned around, saw P, and took a deep breath.

“Fine,” he said resignedly “But you can’t spring things like this on me anymore Wing Dings.” Sans sat back down in his chair, next to the bed. Then Gaster turned to Alphys.

“I’m sure you’d like an explanation...” Alphys nodded yes. “Of course, so why don’t you say hello to ‘P.’” Gaster gently shoved Alphys towards the bed. She shuffled forward, uncertain. Then suddenly, P pulled the blanket up over his head.

“No, don’t do that...” Sans chided, he pulled the blanket back down, so it rested on his chest again. “There, be a good boy.” He said in a fatherly tone. Alphys noticed that strange timbre in his voice...It was soft, yet authoritative...And kind of sweet.

Shaking her head, Alphys slowly reached out to pet the small skeleton on the head. Her claws barely graced his skull, but he flinched from the light touch. “I-I’m sorry.” Alphys muttered. Sans did the skeleton equivalent of rolling his eyes at her.

“You didn’t do anything...You’re literally the first person P has ever seen, aside from Gaster and myself.” Sans informed her. Alphys stared at Sans, jaw open in disbelief.

“Alphys,” Gaster interjected. “I want to know something; can you keep a secret?” Sans frowned at Gaster, eyes silently pleading.

“I-I suppose I can...As l-long as it d-doesn’t hurt anybody.” Alphys answered. Gaster smiled.

“Good. I was hoping you’d say that. Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll tell you a bit about P.” Alphys frantically looked for a chair, feeling kind of dazed. Sans got up and offered her his seat out of pity. _He_ sat beside P, while Gaster spoke.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You see,” Gaster began “A little over five years ago now, Sans and I were discussing how it felt to be the last two skeletons in existence...And certainly, knowing your race is on the verge of extinction isn’t a pleasant experience.” Gaster paused for a second, reflecting quietly. Then he continued.

“So, we wondered, would it be possible for the two of us to still propagate skeleton-kind, even though we’re both male?” Alphys nodded, waiting for him to go on. “After a quite a bit of research and testing, we discovered the answer was _yes.”_   Gaster’s voice changed, it was the tone he always had when speaking about something technical and complicated.

“First, I extracted bone marrow samples from both our bodies, as well as miniscule SOUL fragments. Getting the SOUL fragments wasn’t easy, given Sans’s 1 HP.”

“And the fact that your hands were shaking like hell.” Sans interjected.

Gaster frowned at him, but went on undaunted. “Once that step was complete, we combined the materials in a testube and administered a small dosage of DT-Extract...and soon enough a small, fetal SOUL formed.” Gaster put his hands on his hips, grinning proudly. Sans chuckled to himself. He’d left the biological stuff to Gaster throughout the process; instead focusing on how they were going to care for the new skeleton if it survived.

Alphys still looked pretty confused, so Sans decided to pick up where Gaster left off. “Of course, a little brand-new SOUL like that couldn’t survive on its own. We put the SOUL inside a special growth tank, so it could develop into a whole, living monster. And in about 7 months-the normal gestation time for a skeleton- P was ‘born.’”

Alphys took a few minutes to process all the information. At last, she looked to Doctor Gaster and said, “S-so is P-p like...your and Sans’s c-child?” Gaster gazed at Sans, a whole other conversation passing between their eyes.

After some contemplation, Gaster firmly said “No.” “P is a specimen...an experiment, to see if it is feasible to create a living creature with just a bit of tissue and SOUL fragments.” He adjusted his glasses, then Gaster went over to the row of cabinets to fetch something.

Sans sighed and looked forlornly at P. “Five years P has been alive...And not once has Gaster ever even considered the idea that he could be-...” The skeleton trailed off for a second, Alphys looked at Sans with concern. “Ah, nevermind.” Sans said. He gently pet P on the head, while Gaster returned.

“Sans, I’m going to try giving P an I.V. drip with a higher concentration of DT-Extract. Not a lot though, still less than a milliliter.” Gaster said. Sans nodded and got up off the bed so Gaster could work.

“S-so...” Alphys said “W-what do you plan to do with P-p?” She asked. “I m-mean is he- are you gonna d-do tests on him or?” Alphys wrung her hands nervously while she stared at Sans and Gaster.

“For now, the project is simply to keep P alive and healthy. Due to the nature of his ‘birth’, he is very fragile. He can’t walk or stand.” Gaster explained. Alphys found it confusing, but amazing as well. One thing struck Alphys as being very strange though. That was of course, the mysterious secret lab and hidden nature of the whole project.

" _If they were just making him to see if they could, then why all the secrecy? The hidden keycards, the sealed door?”_ These questions puzzled Alphys. For now though, she’d keep all those thoughts to herself.

But one question had to be asked. Clearing her throat, Alphys said “S-so now th-that I know about the project, what do y-you want me to do?” She asked. Gaster finished changing the I.V. and looked at Sans.

After a minute or two, they reached an agreement. “We’ll leave that up to you, Alphys. You can either help us with the project, or go on about your business and _forget about all this.”_ Answered Sans.

Suddenly, Alphys found herself at a crossroads. She didn’t know what to do, what to say. Should she just leave Dr. Gaster and Sans alone on their project, or try to help them somehow? “I-I guess I’ll leave you t-to it then...I uh, would p-probably just get in the way.” She said bashfully. Alphys scratched the back of her head, feeling awkward. “U-uh...I guess I’ll see you l-later then.” She turned to leave, but unexpectedly, P made a noise.

“Don’t.” He murmured. With one tiny hand outstretched, he looked at Alphys. His gaze was so intense, Alphys felt it could pierce her SOUL. “Don’t go.” He repeated, a bit louder this time. Sans stared at P, his face beaming with delight. “Don’t go.” P waved his hand at Alphys emphatically. She glanced over at Sans, who was smiling- and Gaster- who was scribbling notes as fast as possible.

“W-what does he want?” Alphys said, pointing at P.

“Well, I’m guessing he wants you to stay. He’s curious about you.” Sans said. He bent down and looked at P. “You want Dr. Alphys to stay, P? Is that right?” He waited for a response, then Sans gently took P’s hand in his own. “Okay, put your arm down.” He said, moving the child’s limb. Alphys was amazed.

“H-has he always been a-able to talk?” She asked.

“Speech is another skill we’re working on with P. But normally he speaks in one-or-two syllabic grunts, or sign language...The fact he said that is _incredible._ ” Sans said. He sounded overjoyed about the development.

“Alphys,” Gaster interjected. “You seem to have a positive effect on P. He’s curious about you, naturally, after only seeing Sans and I his whole life...You could help us develop him mentally, through speech interactions and sign language.” Alphys tilted her head. Was that an offer for her to join them? Or...a request?

“D-do you want me t-to stay with you? To help out?” She asked tentatively. Gaster nodded yes.

“If that’s alright with you, Sans.” Gaster commented. Sans couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive. For five years he and Gaster had worked on this project in absolute silence and secrecy...Letting an outsider in, felt a bit invasive. Still, Sans reasoned, letting Alphys help would be good for P...

“Alright. I’ll put aside my worries if it helps P.” He replied.

Gaster smiled and said “Well then Alphys, welcome to the project.”


End file.
